Santiago Dam
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(Irvine Company, Serrano Irrigation District)
| Santiago Dam | |
|---|---|
 Santiago Dam, viewed from the eastern end of the lake | |
  Location of Santiago Dam in California | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Orange County, California |
| Coordinates | 33°47′10″N 117°43′31″W / 33.78611°N 117.72528°W |
| Construction began | 1929[1] (Irvine Company, Serrano Irrigation District) |
| Opening date | 1931 |
| Owner(s) | Serrano Water District/Irvine Ranch Water District |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Roller-compacted earth and rock fill |
| Impounds | Santiago Creek |
| Height | 136 ft (41 m)[2] |
| Length | 1,425 ft (434 m)[2] |
| Width (crest) | 29 ft (8.8 m) |
| Width (base) | 760 ft (230 m) |
| Dam volume | 790,000 cu yd (600,000 m3)[3] |
| Spillway type | Uncontrolled concrete overflow |
| Spillway capacity | 31,700 cu ft/s (900 m3/s)[4] |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Irvine Lake |
| Total capacity | 38,800 acre⋅ft (47,900,000 m3) (max) 25,000 acre⋅ft (31,000,000 m3) (conservation) |
| Catchment area | 64 sq mi (170 km2) |
| Surface area | 700 acres (280 ha) |
| Power Station | |
| Hydraulic head | 120 ft (37 m) |
| Installed capacity | None |
Santiago Dam (also known as Santiago Creek Dam) is an earth/rockfill dam across Santiago Creek in Orange County, in the U.S. state of California, forming Irvine Lake. The 136-foot (41 m) earth dam and its reservoir serve for flood control and recreational purposes. It lies upstream (southeast) from the city of Orange and north of Irvine. Irvine Lake is the largest body of fresh water entirely in Orange County.
Construction on the dam started in 1929 with a joint venture by the Irvine Company and Serrano Irrigation District. After the site was graded, the dam was built using dirt and rock excavated from the sides of the canyon and from the streambed both above and below the dam site. The structure was completed in 1931 at a cost of $1 million,[5] and its reservoir, Irvine Lake, filled by 1933. In the late 1930s, the lake was stocked with fish, and was opened to the public for recreational use in 1941.
The dam was built to serve the purpose of flood control, irrigation and municipal water use. With heavy suburban sprawl downstream encroaching since the 1960s, agriculture along lower Santiago Creek has practically ceased. It is currently owned by the Irvine Ranch Water District and the Serrano Water District (the former Serrano Irrigation District). Today the dam marks the usual ending point of surface flow in Santiago Creek, as all the discharge is retained in the reservoir and downstream flow is limited to seepage and stormwater.[6]